FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT WATER LEVELS - PAGE 4

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. lifted water restrictions for Harford County and other areas served by Baltimore's water supply Thursday. Water restrictions were lifted for most of Central Maryland last month, but Harford -- along with parts of Anne Arundel, Howard and Baltimore counties -- remained under restriction because of water contracts with the city. Baltimore's reservoirs were at lower-than-acceptable levels at the time. Those reservoirs now contain more than 61 billion gallons of water, which is close to normal for this time of year.

Sustained winds from the northwest blew the water right out of Baltimore and Annapolis harbors yesterday, leaving water levels so low a fire rescue boat did not respond to a Clinton Street dock blaze last night because of concern about weather conditions. Pleasure boats at some marinas were grounded or tipped over in water levels estimated at 2 to 4 feet below normal while temperatures dipped to 18 degrees in the Baltimore metropolitan area, freezing waterlines needed to fight the fire on the Canton waterfront.

In a way, it was the perfect flood. Shifts in Isabel's winds, a timely high tide and something called the "slosh" effect all conspired early yesterday to produce some of the highest water levels ever recorded in communities around the Chesapeake Bay. The bay flooding was almost entirely the result of tidal phenomena, and not the unexpectedly modest rain that accompanied the storm in Maryland. Meteorologists said the high water broke or tied 70-year-old records in Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington, as it inundated streets along the Inner Harbor and Fells Point, communities in Eastern Baltimore County and towns on the Eastern Shore.

WASHINGTON - Leading water experts warned yesterday of shortages and a potential crisis if the United States proceeds without a national water policy that spells out cooperation between governments and regions. In letters to the White House, governors and every member of Congress, the experts argued that the country urgently needs to develop a "national water vision" to cope with shortages and other looming problems. The letter asserts that the United States' inability to effectively plan for drought, flooding and improved water quality jeopardizes the nation's strength not just at home but abroad.

High water from the weekend rainstorm appeared to be cresting Monday without posing major threats to flood-prone locations along the Potomac and Susquehanna rivers. The partial failure of a wooden inlet lock along the C&O Canal five miles west of Washington prompted alerts to businesses along the canal where it enters the District of Columbia. Lock 5, at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, was designed to feed water from the Potomac into the canal, according to park spokesman Bill Spinrad.

Saying that drought has imperiled Baltimore's stored water supply, public works officials are preparing to tap the Susquehanna River next week to save water in the three reservoirs that serve 1.8 million area residents. Public Works Director George L. Winfield urged residents served by city water to conserve voluntarily to stave off harsh water-use restrictions that might be imposed in spring if there is no significant rainfall. "The more we can do now, the better off we'll be come spring," Winfield said yesterday.

Gov. Parris N. Glendening declared a statewide drought emergency yesterday -- the first in Maryland history -- and said mandatory water conservation measures "almost certainly" will be imposed as early as next week.In the meantime, he called on Marylanders to voluntarily conserve water and said the state will provide $3 million to help farmers while also seeking federal aid.Glendening made the announcements while standing on the banks of Liberty Reservoir, which is down 24 feet and now holds less than half its capacity of 43 billion gallons of water.

A water quality advisory issued Sunday for several Baltimore neighborhoods was lifted yesterday afternoon, but not before residents flocked to stores and snatched up gallons of bottled water. Grocery stores in Hampden, Roland Park and Charles Village reported the rush on water was equivalent to Y2K preparations in the days leading to New Year's Eve. "The water shelf has been blown out -- empty," said Jim Staines, manager of the Super Fresh store in the 1000 block of 41st St. Union Memorial Hospital resorted to its unused Y2K water supply when it learned of the water advisory, said hospital spokeswoman Amy Strong.